episode_0010

Whooosh—

The wind blew.

As if to remind me that autumn had long arrived, it blew chillingly cold, as if to inform me of its presence.

“······I never thought you’d actually accept.”

Before me stood Edgar Tristain.

The very person who made me a spectacle for other students on this cold day, he stood there glaring at me with a sword in hand.

“Do you have the confidence to win? Confidence to defeat me?”

“···.”

“You, who always remained indifferent, never once accepted a challenge without any thought.”

Edgar asked if I had the confidence to defeat him.

Listening to his words, I suddenly had a question I wanted to ask myself.

‘······Why did I accept this.’

What am I doing right now?

Why am I preparing to fight with a sword on this cold day?

Why am I willingly subjecting myself to being a spectacle for other students?

Of course, I knew.

If I didn’t know the reason, no one else would either.

But still, it felt strange.

It was true that I no longer needed to care about others’ opinions, given my limited lifespan, and it was also true that I had resolved to live more comfortably from now on.

To live comfortably.

That was the way of life I had pledged to adopt after receiving the death sentence.

‘······This isn’t living comfortably.’

I had definitely pledged so, yet here I was, unable to simply let things go, and it had escalated to this point.

And now, faced with the absurd and peculiar situation of the actor not understanding their own actions.

If someone were to ask me again why things had come to this, I still wouldn’t be able to answer.

I could force an answer if I really wanted to.

He attacked me.

He insulted Aria Trice, my younger sister.

For an ordinary person, that would have been enough.

These reasons alone would have been enough to accept the challenge at least three times, but the real issue lay elsewhere.

‘······An ordinary person.’

An ordinary person.

Yes, an ordinary person.

Lian Trice, is he just an ordinary person?

No, am I really just an ordinary person now?

Giving up all the efforts I’ve made so far was yesterday’s affair.

It’s meaningless to make any more effort.

After keenly realizing this fact, acknowledging that all my efforts until now were meaningless was just yesterday’s affair.

Can someone who treats all their efforts as meaningless be called an ordinary person?

“······Probably not.”

No, it wasn’t.

At least, I didn’t think so.

Someone lacking something.

More precisely, someone with something missing.

Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say a person lacking something rather than an ordinary person?

However, another sentence came to mind here.

Everyone has some things missing in themselves.

I can’t remember who said it, but I empathized with and kept that sentence in my mind.

Perhaps I’m a person with many more things missing than other ordinary people.

That’s all there is to it.

Although I have more deficiencies than ordinary people, ultimately it means I’m still just a human being.

The hidden meaning behind this statement was simple.

Just having more deficiencies compared to ordinary people, ultimately, it means I belong among ordinary people too.

Reacting like an ordinary person to Edgar’s provocation might also be natural, in a way.

“Well, if you won’t respond, I’ll attack first.”

“···.”

“I’ll make you so embarrassed that you won’t be able to show your face, Lian Trice.”

Thinking that it was good to keep that sentence in mind, I swiftly raised my sword and blocked Edgar’s falling sword with precision.

***

Elise Arkstera was currently doubting her own eyes.

“······How on earth did he manage to block that?”

Certainly, the person she knew as Lian Trice had never even tried holding a sword.

She already knew that the person had changed.

A former rascal.

And the current Lian Trice.

She, more than anyone else, had closely observed and realized that considering these two as the same person would be disrespectful to him.

“But still, to think his swordsmanship skill has also changed.”

However, it wasn’t entirely untrue.

Mindset could change quickly, but physical abilities like swordsmanship never changed easily. Especially, the difference in experience. The disparity in experience between a novice and an expert made it impossible for a novice to defeat an expert. There was a reason why they called it rigorous training. Mastery of sword skills could only be obtained through the effort of shedding blood. And the opponent was Edgar Tristan. Despite being labeled as a problematic individual, no one had ever disregarded him for his swordsmanship. It was natural to think that Lianne Trice would lose. Even if people changed, there was undoubtedly an insurmountable difference in experience. Everyone thought so, and she herself also believed that. “······Is she a genius?” “···.” If unexpected changes hadn’t occurred in areas she hadn’t predicted, like the princess muttering quietly, it meant that she was a genius. The word “genius” was the first to make her feel inferior. That dreadful word was now flowing from Labilaa’s lips, the very person who instilled that feeling in her. “It seems I underestimated people.” “······Underestimated?” “Yes. To be clear, this time, Lianne Trice will definitely win the duel.” Conviction. The same conviction Elise had witnessed in her eyes was now flowing directly from the princess’s voice. ‘······Haah. Another piece of information to organize.’ Elise could not grasp how to organize this astonishing fact and could only watch the ongoing duel between the two that was far from over.

***

Swordsmanship. A word that had never crossed my mind in my life before the fusion. It was natural. Unless you learned kendo or fencing in 21st century South Korea, situations where you would even grab something called a “sword” were rare. Most citizens were like that. Even I, who lived more ordinary than anyone else, was the same. However, the backdrop here was a novel. A situation where I might have to use a sword, something I had never used before. ‘······In the end, I might have to use it after all.’

I practiced swordsmanship in secret for this reason.

I might need it at any time.

In a novel where the protagonist’s greatest ability is swordsmanship, I might have to use it someday.

Preparing for an unforeseen future.

It was what I had been doing for the past year living as Lian Trice.

Swish!

At least, I never neglected my swordsmanship in that regard.

“Ugh…”

“…”

As the two swords clashed once again, a pained sound escaped Edgar’s lips.

His expression conveyed his inability to comprehend the current situation.

He seemed unable to accept being surpassed by someone like ‘Lian Trice’ in the field of swordsmanship.

…Still, he didn’t seem pleased.

I began to think that I should end this soon.

I had already noted the extent of the difference, and at this point, he probably wouldn’t argue with me anymore.

Honestly, I thought Edgar would give up soon.

After all, in the original work, Edgar Tristan was a character who was acknowledged for his swordsmanship.

Isn’t that usually the case?

Actually, true experts tend to sense the gap in skill quickly and surrender easily, or so I’ve heard.

I think that’s a line the princess said in the original work.

A word of comfort to the protagonist who realizes that they still have a long way to go.

“…The princess isn’t exactly normal either.”

Is it the author’s preference?

Or do such heroines just resonate well in web novels?

Thinking back now, each heroine in the original work seemed to have a screw loose.

“Now you’re even underestimating your opponent during a duel!”

As I thought about this, a loud shout accompanied the trajectory of a charging sword.

The trajectory of the sword.

It served as a guide, indicating the direction from which the sword approached me, enabling me to block it.

Should I call it a talent?

Or simply good eyesight?

Oddly enough, I could see that trajectory very well.

And in a sword fight between swordsmen, seeing the trajectory of the sword meant…

Swoosh-

“…You dodged?”

“…”

He had a greater advantage than any advantage his opponent possessed.

Avoid the opponent’s sword.

Then, I thrust my sword at an unexpected timing.

I moved according to the same sequence as the basics of swordsmanship.

– Clang!

My sword pierced Edgar’s side, and simultaneously, an alert sound emanated from the sparring exclusive uniform worn by Edgar.

Death processing warning.

A feature placed directly into the sparring exclusive uniform by Seacreed Academy for the safe sparring of enrolled students.

The fact that this feature activated meant, in other words, it meant this.

“······You’ve lost. Edgar Tristan.”

“···.”

The owner of the activated uniform has lost in this sparring.

Beep-!

“What on earth are you all doing!”

With the belated sound of the professor in charge of the afternoon class returning from the restroom to tidy up this situation, the rather abrupt sparring also came to an end.